The Industrial and Commercial Heating Equipment Association (ICOM) has published a new guide ‘Flammable Refrigerants within Heat Pumps – Selection & Design Considerations’, providing practical guidance for consultants and specifiers navigating the changing refrigerant landscape.
With tightening F-gas requirements and increasing scrutiny around PFAS, the guide highlights the key factors that need to be considered when selecting refrigerants for HVAC and refrigeration applications. These include environmental compliance, safety, system design, installation requirements and the long-term viability of refrigerant choices.
The guide focuses particularly on R32 and R290 (propane), two refrigerants increasingly used in heat pumps. It explains their different classifications and properties, alongside the practical implications for system design and installation.
For R32, the guide considers its A2L mild flammability classification, regulatory requirements, airflow, clearances, noise, condensate management and frost protection. For R290, which is classified A3 and highly flammable, it provides additional guidance on protective zones, ignition sources, building openings, ventilation, low points and the need for appropriate risk assessment and trained personnel.
Steve McConnell, Director of ICOM, said: “Refrigerant selection is becoming an increasingly important consideration for consultants and specifiers. It is no longer simply about selecting a refrigerant that delivers the required system performance; environmental impact, safety, regulation and the long-term suitability of the installation all need to be considered.
“Our new guide is designed to help those involved in specifying heat pumps understand the practical differences between refrigerants such as R32 and R290, and to ensure that factors such as equipment location, protective zones and relevant standards are considered from the outset. Good specification can help deliver systems that are safe, compliant, efficient and better prepared for future regulatory changes.”
The guide also sets out key standards and regulations relevant to the design, installation and operation of systems using flammable refrigerants, including BS EN 378, ISO 5149 and, where applicable, ATEX and DSEAR requirements.
ICOM recommends that consultants and specifiers assess the regulatory framework, building type and occupancy, system capacity, operating temperatures and ambient design conditions when selecting a refrigerant, while also considering longer-term regulatory trends.
The guide can be found here ‘Flammable Refrigerants within heat pumps – Selection & design considerations’.
